The new ‘Adopt a Pet Allowance Scheme’ emphasises choosing to adopt an animal from a shelter rather than purchasing one, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, Clint Camilleri said today.

“This scheme is an initiative for more people to adopt animals being kept in shelters and are waiting for a home.” Many times the animals which are found in these sanctuaries have been abandoned and deserve a loving home.

A €150 grant will be provided to each individual who adopts an animal from a sanctuary. The scheme is a one-time grant to one individual.

If an individual adopts two animals at once, the grant is applied only once. He explained that the scheme will be improving the quality of life of these animals. The application for the scheme will be found at animal sanctuary NGOs.

Camilleri explained that there will be a number of checks and balances to ensure that there is no form of abuse towards the animals. He explained that once an individual/family adopts an animal from a sanctuary there is a period of six months of check-ups, to ensure that the animal is in a safe environment and has taken all the necessary medical procedures, such as neutering.

He said that one of the targets of the scheme is to ensure that more animals are adopted from the sanctuaries and adopted by loving families. He explained that NGOs which have their own animal sanctuary are also provided financial assistance to run their shelters.